Illinois Considers Reversing Ban on Non-Clinician-Owned Autism Clinics

Healthcare attorney John Saran was quoted in a Behavioral Health Business article summarizing proposed Illinois legislation that would amend the state's licensing laws affecting autism therapy practices that include applied behavioral analysis (ABA). Specifically, Senate Bill (SB) 3807 and House Bill (HB) 5171 would repeal a provision requiring ABA businesses to be owned exclusively by licensed practitioners, add occupational therapists to the list of types of clinicians who can own ABA practices, permit licensed behavioral analysts to form professional corporations with other mental health or rehabilitation providers, and forbid non-licensed individuals from making healthcare decisions. Mr. Saran compared the current regulations on autism therapy to corporate practice of medicine law, saying they show that "[state officials] don't care just about licensure; we also care about corporate control, who's really in charge of clinical matters." Professionals interviewed by Behavioral Health Business commented the bills could make it easier for organizations to build multispecialty entities as well as alleviate compliance costs for smaller providers.

READ: Illinois Considers Reversing Ban on Non-Clinician-Owned Autism Clinics